A super long awaited trip! Due to work commitments, I wasn't able to go for any holidays as planned since August, and finally some time for a holiday! There are so many countries that I wanted to go and finally deciding on Taipei. Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan, located at the northern region of the state, attracts millions of visitors each year.
The month of January is considered to be the coldest month throughout the year with temperatures averaging around 18degC. I am one that prefers cold weather rather than the heat because I just hate perspiring and getting sticky all over. It's so cold that my piping hot food can cool down within 5mins! It's cool most of the time, but it gets really cold when it starts to become windy. However, you can still perspire on days that are more humid!
I actually tried to work within SGD1,500, but I failed to as cafes here are not that affordable and I went to like 20 over cafes? A drink/coffee could easily cost you between NTD130-180 (SGD5.90-8.20). SGD8 for a small cup of coffee, that is way too much! Taipei is popular for a lot of its good food and 'brand' food. Places that are more popular and highly frequent, especially by tourists, usually impose a minimum spending between NTD100-200. Many of times I ended up having to order a little more just to hit the minimum spending.
1) Chunghwa Telecom
Chunghwa Telecom is the largest telecommunication company in Taiwan (just like Singapore's Singtel) that offers many post-paid and pre-paid plans. Their pre-paid 3G data SIM cards are all unlimited usage and ranges from 1 day to 30 days or so, for 10 days that cost NT$500 (SG$22). I feel it is a really good and affordable offer and I never have to worry that I will be out of data! Because free wifi in your accommodation and cafes is not enough. Since I am travelling alone and taking public transport all the time, I rely heavily on Google Maps. It will be a disaster if I were to run out of data!
2) Transport to City
There are many ways that one could travel to get to Taipei City. (read more here). Since I am staying near Ximen Station, I took bus 1819 to Taipei Main Station, and then the subway to Ximen Station. The journey from the airport to city is about an hour, and bus arrives at 15-20mins intervals.
3) EasyCard
EasyCard (or 悠游卡 - you you ka) is the ez-link card of Taipei. EasyCard can be purchased at all subway stations and convenience stores like 7/11 and Family Mart.
4) Airbnb
Airbnb is a platform that allows people to list or rent accommodation. For renting of accommodation, it allows you to choose whether to book the entire place, a private room or a shared room. For my previous trips, I went for a private room where I share the house with the owner. But this time round, I went for 'entire place' as Taiwan is one of the places that is popular for one-room studio apartments and one-room loft apartments.
The place that I had is a one-room studio that comes with a queen-sized bed, working desk and chair, wall mounted TV, shelving for clothes and shoes, a simple kitchenette with kettle, microwave, fridge and sink; and the bathroom equipped with a washing machine.
5) Travel Journal
On every of my trips, I carry a travel journal, which is simply a notebook with all the required information - check list, packing list, itinerary, addresses, opening hours, phone numbers, train map, recipes, daily outfits, and other notes.
Without further ado, check out my 10-day Taipei trip and itinerary!